The interior of your home is something you want to put on a nice show. An interior designer, also known as an interior designer, can help you do this by completely furnishing a room according to your wishes and needs. On this page, see what an interior designer can do for you and what costs are involved.
What does an interior designer cost?
The costs of an interior designer start from £ 500. You can expand this package with a complete design, assistance with the permit application and building supervision. See the cost chart below for average prices of projects carried out by an interior designer. Costs are often calculated on an hourly rate, fee* or per m² basis.
| Work | Cost per room (incl. VAT) | Explanation |
|---|---|---|
| Advisory and sketches | £500 – £800 | The interior designer thinks along about wishes and plans and sketches an initial design. |
| Full design | £1,000 – £3.000 | The interior architect creates a full design and supervises the permit application. |
| Full design with construction supervision | From £7,000 | The interior architect creates a full design, supervises the permit application and provides supervision during construction. |
*A percentage of the total cost of construction of the commission. For architects, this percentage is often between 8 and 14 per cent.
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What does an interior designer do?
An interior designer deals with furnishing a space. He can do this for a specific room or for an entire building. An interior decorator also deals with furnishing room(s), but in doing so focuses almost exclusively on interior design.
The interior designer translates your wishes and needs into a design based on the conversation you have. He also incorporates his own expertise and checks whether your wishes are feasible in terms of time, budget and construction aspects.
After this conversation, he will work with your wishes and needs and make a sketch design of the room. After this, you get to see the design and there is room for comments and remarks. He will then make a preliminary sketch incorporating your previous feedback. Only when the sketch is fully approved will a final design be made.
You can choose to leave it at that and do the implementation work yourself. This includes requesting quotes and signing contracts with contractors and monitoring the time schedule and budget during the execution of the project. If you don’t have the time or energy to do this, you can also have the interior designer do it for you. In that case, the interior designer will take care of these tasks and ensure that everything is arranged as previously agreed.
Interior designer price examples
Wondering about a specific example? The price examples below will give you a better idea of the possibilities.
An inexpensive advice
Are you looking for interior advice on one or more rooms and want to have a design made straight away? An interior designer will be happy to think about the possibilities. After discussing your wishes, rough sketches will be made to form an image of the possibilities of your interior. On average, the interior designer will charge you between £500 and £800 for the advice and sketches. Then you can choose to have the interior designer elaborate the design further. This visualisation is often done in the form of a 3D drawing, so you really get a clear picture of the design. On average, this will cost you between £1,000 and £2,500. Then opt for a comprehensive consultancy package, including construction supervision. The interior designer will be present throughout the renovation to make sure the whole process runs as smoothly as possible. Do you opt for a complete project? The cost depends on the situation. On average, the costs for this project start from around £7,000.
How does the price structure of an interior designer look like?
What is the difference between an interior stylist and interior designer?
Would you like help decorating or remodelling your home, but don’t know whether you need an interior stylist or an interior designer to do this? Then take a look at the comparison to make the right choice.
| Comparison | Interior stylist | Interior architect |
|---|---|---|
| Description | An interior stylist gives advice on colours and decoration in the form of furniture, accessories and lighting. | An interior designer gives advice on architectural constructions in addition to interior design. |
| Duties | – Researching your living requirements – Colour and furniture advice – Materials advice – Accessories advice – Lighting plan – Designing floor plan and mood board |
– Researching your living requirements – Designing the interior including construction work – Arranging construction and permit applications – Making sketches and drawings (2D or 3D design) – Drawing up quotations |
| Extra possibilities | – Personal shopping – Home photography – Sales styling |
– Procurement guidance – Construction guidance – Contract formation* |
| Average prices | £ 800 | £ 3.000 |
| Acknowledgements | An interior designer has no recognised training and is not a member of the Beroepsvereniging Nederlandse Interieurarchitecten (BNI). | An interior designer is a protected title. This means that they are only allowed to use this name if they are registered with the Beroepsvereniging Nederlandse Interieurarchitecten (BNI). |
How to find the best interior designer?
In your search for an interior designer, you are likely to come across many different freelancers and companies. Of course, you want to find an interior designer who understands your home style and takes your budget into account. To find the best interior designer for your project, pay attention to the following elements:
Look at the portfolio>
An interior designer’s portfolio is often found on their website. The portfolio allows you to view previous projects and get an impression of the architect’s work. Does an interior designer specialise in a particular style that perfectly suits your needs? Take a look at the portfolio and determine whether there are common ground between you and the interior designer.
Procedure
Check out the different options an interior designer offers. Are you looking for an interior designer who also provides construction supervision? Then check whether this work is offered.
Compareprices
The prices of an architectural firm are often higher than those of a freelancer. On the other hand, an agency often gives you multiple contact options. There is always someone who can speak to you. With a self-employed architect, this depends on his or her availability.
Compare prices with supply and service. The interior designer cost can be calculated in three ways:
- Proportional (fee)
- Urental rate
- Price per sq m
Keep in mind the different price quotes when comparing interior designers
Extra options when comparing an interior designer
When you have found the perfect interior designer, start putting together the process. You can also add extra options to the standard packages. Take a look at the table below.
| Extra option | Average price (incl. VAT) | Explanation |
|---|---|---|
| Quickscan | £450 | During a quick scan, the interior designer will take a look at the house. He will come up with ideas and options for your interior. You receive sketches of these ideas. |
| 3D visualisation | £ 400 | With a 3D visualisation, the interior architect shows you the drawings in 3D, so you get a good idea of the whole. |
| Contract formation | £ 1,000 – £ 2,000 | The architect guides you in the selection of a contractor and the formation of the contract. |
| Manage procurement process | £ 5,000 | Procurement of products, liaise with relevant parties. |
** The process of contractor selection and contract formation consists of selecting a number of contractors. These contractors provide information about the work and submit quotations. The interior designer converts this information and quotes into clear and straightforward language, advises you on the number of contractors available and draws up a contract for you.
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Frequently asked questions
The cost of an interior designer depends on the assignment. An interior designer’s hourly rate is on average between £75 and £125 per hour. The hourly rate mainly depends on the years of experience the interior designer has. Request several quotes free and without obligation to get an idea of the costs for your project.
An interior designer specialises in designing spaces. Among other things, the interior designer has a lot of knowledge about room layout, colours, materials and light. As a result, he or she knows exactly how to arrange a space according to your wishes and needs.
An interior designer costs on average around £60 per hour. The cost for the various works varies between £500 and £7,000, depending on the work and the scope of the job.
